Treatment as prevention; or, the best defense is a good offense

The journal Science has selected this paper as their “breakthrough of the year”. As you know, the HIV Prevention Trials Network study 052 demonstrated that early antiretroviral therapy reduced heterosexual HIV transmission by 96%. The concept is intuitively obvious, but often we compartmentalize “prevention” and “treatment” without recognizing how crucial prompt and effective therapy can be to preventing pathogen transmission (and/or to preventing emergence of antimicrobial resistance). I suspect we can and will put together some excellent sessions on “treatment as prevention” at the inaugural ID Week in 2012.

Oh, and Happy January 2012 from this humble blog.

The last IDSA...for a while?

Everyone around here seems to be off to IDSA.  This is the last IDSA before a whole gamish of societies  (IDSA+SHEA+HIVMA+PIDS) becomes IDWeek.  In honor of all of my ID colleagues headed to Boston, I offer the following cartoon.  I think ID physicians are doctors among doctors, we just aren't reimbursed as such. Have fun and look both ways.

SHEA 2012 and IDWeek 2012 - SAVE THE DATES

So there are now two new meetings to choose from if you're interested in infection prevention.  Dan and I are involved with the planning of both meetings, so as more information becomes available, I'm sure we will provide it to you, our dear readers and accidental web surfers looking for Snicker's pictures.

SHEA 2012: Advancing Healthcare Epidemiology & Antimicrobial Stewardship, April 13 - 16, 2012 in Jacksonville, FL

SHEA 2012 is not the same old SHEA.  The old scientific meeting with podium and poster presentations has merged with IDSA (see below).  This new spring meeting is newly designed for 2012 and offers both the traditional basic SHEA/CDC training course as well as a parallel advanced epidemiological methods track that focuses on designing, analyzing and presenting infection prevention research. The conference also includes meetings addressing antimicrobial stewardship.

More information when available will be posted on SHEA's website

Inaugural IDWeek 2012: October 17-21, 2012, in San Diego, CA
A Joint Meeting of IDSA, SHEA, HIVMA, and PIDS

IDWEEK 2012 is where to go if you want to see the latest science surrounding infection prevention.  The SHEA podium, symposium and abstract presentations are expected to run parallel to the traditional IDSA-infectious disease presentations so that attendees can choose what is best for them.

For more information visit http://www.idweek.org/